Variable-width presser-foot mechanism



May 25 1926. 1,586,163

A y R. M. sHARAF VARIABLE WIDTH PRE'JSSERV FOOTA MECHANISM OriginalFiled April 19, 1916 4 Sheets-Sheet l WTNESSES INVENTO? m j 1 mannersMay 25 1926.

original Filed April 19, 191e 4 sheets-sheet 2 WITNESSES May z5, 1926.j

R. M`. SHA`RAF VARIABLE WIDTH PRESSER FOOT MECHANISM Original FiledApril 19, -1916 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INI/Emol:

wimfssfs l ATTORNEYS May 25', 1-926. 1,586,163

R. M. sHARAF VARIABLE WIDTH PRESSER FOOT MECHANISM Original Filed April19, 1916 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented May Z5, 1926.

UNITED srA'rEs PATENT OFFICE.

RALIH M. SHARAF, OF NEVI YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO R. M. SI-IARAF MACHINEGO., OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, CORLORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

VARIABLE-WIDTH PRESSER-FOOT IxIECI-IANISM.

Application filed April 19, 1916, Serial No. 92,141. Renewed February27, 1922. Serial No. 539,772

This invention relates to sewing machines adapted especially for shopand factory practice, and has particular reference to machines of thetwo needle type employed for sewing lace, insertion, braid, or the likeupon cloth by a single operation.

Among the objects ofthe present inven-A tion is to provide for a twoneedle sewing machine, a presser foot adjustable laterally along withthe varying of the Vspace between the needles to accommodate lace ofvarying widths.

Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable presser foothaving lace feeding devices associated therewith, the feeding devices aswell as the presser foot being of variable width in accordance with thewidth of the lace being sewed. By the term lace as used herein, I meanto cover any analogous trimming material.

A still further object of the invention is to provide presser footmechanism for lace sewing machines including two relatively laterallymovable main parts, lace feeding means adjustable therewith toaccommodate varying widths of'lace, and cutting devices for trimming outthe cloth beneath the lace and closely adjacent the two lines ofstitches.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists inthe arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described andclaimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact detailsof construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for tbc purpose ofillustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to theaccompanying drawings, in which like 3 *3 of Figure 1;

Figure L'lis a view similar to Figure l, but indicating other featuresof construction;

Figure 5 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Figure 4e, thethroat plates being in vertical ction on the line tis-e5 of Figure jl;

'Figure (i is a vertical sectional detail on 'the line 5--6 of Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a vertical section on the line o 8-8 of Figure 5; Y

Figure 9 is a view of the same with the parts in different position;

Figure 10 is a front elevation of the lac feeding bar and attachments; v

Figure 11 is a sectional view looking downwardly from the inclined planeindicated by the line 11-11 of Figure 4:;

Figure 12 is a fragmentary transverse section approximately on the'line12-12 of Figure 4;

Figure 13 is a vertical transverse section on approximately the pla-neof the needles and showing the needle bar and needle controlling devicesin elevation; and

Figure 14 is a partial plan view and partial horizontal sectionindicating the means for adjusting the needle holders laterally inaccordance with the lateral adjustment of the presser foot, and lacefeeding and cloth cutting devices.

Referring now more particularly to Figuresl to 3, I show a presser foot15 compriing right and left halves or parts 15a and 15b movablelaterally toward and from eachother and both movable relatively tothepresser foot bar 16 carried in any well known manner by the sewingmachine head.

The bottom of the presser foot is provided with a transverse slot 17 inthe remote ends of which the needles 18 and 19 are adapted toreciprocate with the needle bar 2O of any suitable type, but preferablyof the type shown in detail and claimed in my copending application forvariable width two needle sewing machines, tiled of even date herewith,Serial No. 92,140 (patented August 5, 1924-, #1,503,921). rl`he twoparts of the presser foot are substantially duplicates, except that oneis right. and .the other yis left and hence the slot. 17 is formed inboth parts as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The effective length of theslot, according to the lateral adjustment of the presser foot parts,corresponds with the width of the lace being used so that the ed O*es orsclvage of the lace will be enga red bythe needles.

l ln Figures l 'and v show ayertical reciprocating lace feeding bar Q1having' lat erally adjustable right and left parte' sie and 21, each.part carrying a series ef gers 22 `at its lower end acting downwardlyand rearwardly along a lace feeding table 23 inclined toward the pointsof the needles at an inclination of about forty-tive degrees.

rlhe bar 21 is adapted t'o be recip'rocated 1n' approaching the loweredge of the table, or

close to the lace slot 17. The lingers are held forwardly and dow wardlytoward or against the table by means of leaf springs 27. The wings 26being substantially stationary except as they more coincidentally withthe slight movement of the presser loot, and the slots being vertical,the lower portion oiE the lace bar is maintained substantially in avertical plane during its reciprocations. .Vhen the bar 21, however, is'forced downwardly the pointsor feeding ends of the lingers 22 move thelace downwardly and rearwardly along the lace table. As shown in Figure11, a tongue 2 8 is arranged centrally of the presser foot and spans thespace between the two sections 15a and 15b thereof during theadjustmentl thereof apart. The upper end of thistongue is mounted upon apair of aligned pins 29 around which are placed a pair of light springs30 whose function it is to hold the tongue/,2S central with respect tothe foot when the parts ot the foot are separated. ylQhe lace is fedalongl the upper and rear surliace of this tongue 28 and beneath anothertongue 31 hung at its upper end upon a pin 32 having its ends projectinginto saring sockets 33 spaced rearwardly from the pins 29. At 34 I showa pair .of keepers extending downwardly along the edges of the tongue 31and each having a linger co-operating with the edge ot the lace close toone ol the needles'maintaining the lace in the position to which it isfed by the operation of the machine and the lace feeding ngers 22.rEhese keepers 84 and their lingers 35 are carried substantially by theside parts of the presser foot and hence always maintain substantiallythe same relation to the needles.

Referring now again to Figures 1 and 3, I show a pair of plungersv 36adapted to reciprocate in vertical planes parallel to the line ot' feedalong inclined guideways 37 at the side portions of the lace table, saidguideways terminating at the bottom of .the presser 'toot closely infront of theplaneo the needles. ln the use of this machine the Adownward throw'.

cloth between the two rows o' stitches formed by the two needles is cutout by two pairs of cutting devices just ahead ot the stitchingmechanism, and the points ot the plunger's act between the spaces wherethe cloth'is cut and the plane ot the needles. 'llhe round dull points36 ot the plunger-s are deflected inwardly and operate on their downstroke, just before the points ot the needles reach the limit ot theirdown stroke, tc hold the raw edges of the cloth turned downwardly inposition to be turned beneath the salvage of the' lace by the action oithe thread as explained in detail in my Patent #1,503,921. As shown inthe tirst three igures, the plungers are caused to reciprocate by mea-nscontrolled directly from the nee-ille bar. To this end l provide arocker 3S journaled on a transverse axis 39, the ends ot which aremounted in bearings or brackets 40 carried laterally with the lateraladjustment of the two parts of the presser foot. The shaft 39 istelescopic at both ends so as to permit the rocker to remain central orin the vertical plane of the lnedi an line of the work. The rocker'includes upwardly and downwardly projecting arms 41 and 42 respectively,adapted to be engaged in alternation by the thimble 43 o't the needleholders. 1n the position shown in Figure 1, the needle bar may beregarded as descending and approaching its downward limit ot movement,and immediately thereal'ter the thimble 43 or any analogous portion ofthe needle bar structure will engage the arm 42 extending somewhatbeneath the thimble and thereby the rocker will be given a quickoscillation rearwardly at its lower part. In other words, by the timethe points el the needlesreach the cloth, the rocher will have beenoscillated causing the points 3G ot the plungers to be given theirextreme The connections between the rocker and the plungers are shown ascomprising a pair of sleeves 44, in each or which is a pin 45 adapted toproject into the eye 46 or' a draw bar 47 movable rearwardly in ahorizontal plane due to the rearward oscillation of the rocker. T hefront end ot each draw bar is deflected laterally and projected throughan inclined slot hl formed in the upper end ot the correspondingplunger' 36. The plunger is held normally in its upper position by meansof a light spring 49, and at this time the zur gular end ot the draw baroccupies the lower end of the slot 48. 'Vhen, however, the draw bar 47is drawn rearwardly by the oscillation oli the rocker just described,since the draw bar is held in a horizontal plane b v the foot structure,the angular end thereol serves to draw the plunger downwardly along itsinclined guideway. rfhe pin 45 is held down in active position by aspring 50 housed within the sleeve 44, the spring bearing against theangular upper end of the pin. ll' it is desired, however, to throweither or both of the pins out ot connection with their draw barst thismay be effected by lifting up upon the angular upper end ot' each pin,drawing' vthe seine uiwardly against the spring 50, and then throwingthe same laterally to lock in the bayonet slots 5l (see Figure 2).llfhen the needle bar moves upwardly, the thiinblethereol is adapted towipe against the upper arm ll causing,l the rocker to oscillate in theother direction duringl the upper portion ot such niovement ot theneedle bar, settingv the plungers lree to be lillteil by the springs4:9. 'lhe middle portions ol' the sleeves 4d are provided with rigidinwardly projecting aligned pin members telescoping with the barrel 53connected to the lower arm 42. Either or both of the parts 39 and 53 maycontain springs to hold the parts in proper relative positionsl uponlateral adjustment oli the device. By the foregoing it will be seen thatl have provided a means for actua-tingI the cloth. folding guides orplungers downwardly and rearwardly, once ior each downward reciprocationof the needles and just in advance of the needles. As shown in Figure 8,the pins operate in horizontal parallel slots 54 formed in the plates5ft along the upper edges of the bottom portions of the presser lootjust in the rear ol the side wings 26. By this means also the pins andsleeves are steadied with respect to lateral vibrations.

ln Figures 6 and '.7 l show a slight varia tion in the cloth foldingmeans. ln this lorm of the device the plungers 36a are relativelystationary when in operation, their points 35 projecting normally belowthe ends of the guidcways 37. Each plunger 36a is pivotally connected atits upper end to a link 55 whose opposite end has a pivot pin 56extending into a slot G6 of a latch 57. This latch is pivoted about itscenter upon a pivot 58 carried by a dropV lest 59 hinged at ll() nearthe bottoni ot the liront portion of the presser foot. ne pivot 555Yprojects through a longitudinal slot 6l at the middle ol the latch, andjust above thisv slot and pivot is a lug G2. llVhen the drop lealI 59 isclosed llush with the front tace ol the presser toot, shown in Figure 6,the upper end ol the latch carrying a piu G8 projects into a socket 6K1-in the structure of the loot and si tantially perpendicular to the dropleali audlink 55 lying;` against the upper tace of the drop leal at thistime. A keeper is slidable then downwardly to engage at its lower endbeneath the lug' G2 thereby locirinp; the drop leal' lirxnly in closedposition, and the link causes the plunger point at this time to projectinto operative position. As shown in Figure 7, when the keeper 65 iseleor withdrawn :from the hitch lug- 62, J@he operator by pulling`directly downwardly upon the latch ina-y swing the drop leaf to its openposition and by swinging the latch at its lower end rearwardly aroundthe pivot 58, the plunger and link will be ormvn upward.

ll will now describe the preferred cutting inechanisni, having referenceto Figures El, (l and 5, and also particularly to Figures S and 9. At(S7 l show a cutting blade oi? This blade is provided at its lower rearend with a downwardly projecting lead (57, the point` of which isintended as a guide rather than as a cutter. .lust above and in lirontoil the lead is provided a cutting` edge V9, the line ot which forms acornparatiifely sharp acute angle with the upedge oi"- the blade. Qhiscutting edge') operates with a shearing elliec't with a stationary blade.70 httcd removably into a throat plate ll (see Figure 5).

Adjacent to its upper end the blade is liori'ned with an open ended slot72 substantially perpendicular to the longer axis-0f the blade and intowhich projects a vpin 73 carried by. a bell crank K/l pivoted at 75 onor within either heli"4 oi the presser toot. lhe upper rear end or thebell crank 74 liiiurcated and intersects the slot 25 oll the wing` 26for cio-operating` with the lug carried by the positively .actuated lace'feeding bar 2l. ill/*hilo the bar 2l is being elevated, the bell crank7l is `-(given a clockwise rotation (see Figure causing the pin Tl toswing along an arc shaped slot 76, and hrough the connection at the slot72 with the blade Si', the blade is driven' downwardlv and rearwardly,causing the cutting edge G9 th reet to shear across the active edgefiile-il blade 'l0 with a powerful and aive cut.

'lhcre is an intimate relationship between the yplunger mechanism andthe cutting mechanism with respect to the latch 5?. The extreme uppercorner ot the blade G7 is cut away, and a notch F is extended down- (lvsfdly therefrom parallel to the slot 72. lhe pin 53 carried by theupper end ot the latch is normally located in such position :is to liewithin the cnt a vay corner portion oi" the blade, but away trein thenotch 77 (see Fig. 'lherel'ore while the latch is in locking positionthe blade is treed iron'i the pin G33 for its reciprocations through thebell cranl7 and pin 73, the plunger being held stationary by the latchand link connections. lllhen, however, the latch is actuated to drop thedrop leal 5) to throw the plunger and lznite out of gear, the movementol the latch is longitudinal only 1eruiitted by the slots 6l and 56along the pivots 58 and. '5S respectively. This movement of the latchbrings the pin 63 into the notch T7 whereby when the latch is then drawndownwardly and swung around the pivot 58, the blade will be drawnpositively downwardly to release it from the pin 73 and then drawnupwardly to bring the lead or point 57 thereot above the plane oi' thebottom et the presser toot (see Figure il). in this position the deviceis adapted tor the sewing on ot' lace without cutting out the cloth, andwith the blade dropped forwardly and downwardly, as shown, even thoughthe bell crank may continue its oscillations, the pin T3 moves idly inthe slot 76. lin the preferred itorm ot the mechanism where. the foldingplungers are reciprocated in harmony with the reciprocations ot theneedle bar, it will be noted that when the needles are up and thefeeding mechanism is operative, the plungers like vise will be elevated,as shown in full lines in Figure l, so that while the cloth is movingunder the operation ot the 'feeding devices there practically noobstruction, tending to retard or resist lateral curving` ot' the workconteinjilated in the. practice ot this entire machine.

l will now describe the means l provide Ytor adjusting the presser footto width, according to the width ot the lace. "he presser toot barincludes or is provided with a. downward projection 78 (SeeFigure l2)tapped transversely with screw threads having, t`or example, thirty-twothreads per inch co-operating with a screw 79 journaled in and held tromendwise movement with respect to the toot part 15a. To the outer rndo'lz the screw is connected a pinion SO 'tor controlling the rotation ofthe screw. It, tor instance, this screw be rotated eight times, the partl5 will be moved laterally :urcrdingly one-quarter ot an inch withrcspect to the center or median line ot the work. Another screw 81 istix/ed rigidly in the other part 15' ot the presser toot, and has'internal threaded engagement with the first mentioned screw 79, but thethreads of the screw el are made of twice the pitch oit' the l'irst, orsixteen threads per inch. It will he understood, however, that thesepitches are but illustrations, and might be .Qreater or less so long` asthe ratio or' two to one is observed between the two parts ot theditt'erential pitch screw device. Since the latter screw 8l isnon-rotaryhe rotation ot the screw 79 and movement in one directionthrough a quarter ot an inch with a corresponding unscrcwing trom thestationary screw Sl, will cause the lett hand part ot the 'toot to movein the opposite direction to the same extent. One or more other screws8l are lifted to the 'toot part 15b and are provided with similarthreaded engagement with other rotary members 79 journaled in the part15a. Each of these rotary shafts 79 is provided with a pinion 80 similarto the lirst one described. A master gear 82 is journaled so as to meshwith all ot the pinions 8O and cause simultaneous rotation or' all ot'them and the menibcrs 79 and 79, whereby all parts ot the :toot aremoved laterally bodily without wedging or cramping. A scale 83 isconnected on the 'trent portion ot the toot to guide the operator inmaking the adjustment.

In Figures 13 and l-l. l show my improved needle controlling devicecomprising a stationary bracket Sil connected by ears or lugs 85 to anystationary part ot the head. A. diterential screw 79 and 8l ot the samecharacter as l described in connection with the presser toot, isconnected to the bracket Si. The end ot the screw carrying the pinion 8Ois journaled in a laterally adjustable bracket extension 8G having asocket 8T lor a needle chuck S8, to which the needle ,is connected iorvertical rcciprocations. The nonrotary screw 81a carried by anotherlaterally adjustable extension S9. rl`he dil'i'erential screw justdescribed is actuated preterably by the sanie master wheel and at thesame time that the adjustment ot the presser vtoot ctiiccted and to thesame extent. 'lhe 'troni Ytace ol the bracket mechanism may be providedwith a s 'ale 90 to guide the operator in making the adjustment, eitherindependently of or in connection with the scale 83 on the presser toot.

The lower end ot the needle bar 2O which reciprocates through the centeroit the bracket Sift carries a pair ot needle holders Ol and 92 in whichthe needle Chucks 38 are held during the operation oi the needles withthe needle bar. rllhese holders 91 and 92 are adapted to be clamped asby means ot a binding screw 923 rt the center to hold them in fixedposition with respect to the needle bar. Then the bracket device Si isto be adjusted laterally or elongated, the screw 925 will be loosenedand then the upper ends ol'v the chucks which project into the bracketextensions 86 and 89 will be carried apart bodily, providing the sameadjustment laterally tor the needles as is given to the presser toot andother devices described, so that the needles will reciprocate along thesame vertical lines with respect te the presser toot. Bit each side otthe device l provide a linger piece 94 in the nature ot' a bell crank,which when swung downwardly by the operator, will cause a dog to swinginwardly to catch and hold the chuck in the bracket extension andrelease it from the needle holder 91 or 92. This operation as describedin the previously mentioned application may be performed easily andsafely while the machine is in regular operation. It it is desired tostop either or both needles while the machine is in operation, to startthe needle or needles that may be stopped, the operator will simtill plythrow the finger piece 94 back to the original position and the needlechuck will then be carried downwardly as usual by the needle holder' andneedle bar.

I claim:

l. In a two needle lace sewing machine, the combination with a presserfoot, a pair of needles co-operating therewith, and cloth cutting meansadjacent to each needle, of laterally spaced cloth folding devicesco-operating with the presser foot between the needles and the cuttingdevices.

2. In a two needle lace sewing machine, the combination with a presserfoot, a pair of reciprocating needles co-operating therewith, and clothcutting devices acting in front of the needles, of a pair of clothfolding plungers movable downwardly into cooperation with the raw edgesof the cloth while the needles are making their down stroke.

3. In a lace sewing machine, the combination of a presser foot, a pairof needles co-operating therewith, means to reciprocate the needles,laterally spaced cutting devices slitting the cloth ahead of theneedles, a pair of plungers co-operating with the raw edges of the clothto fold the same, and means to reciprocate the plungers from the needleoperating means in harmonywith the reciprocations of the needles. Y Y

4. The combination with a presser foot, a needle co-operating therewith,lace feeding means acting downwardly through the front portion of thefoot, and slitting devices acting on the cloth in front of the lace, ofa plunger guided for reciprocating movement adjacent to the front partof the foot, and

means to reciprocate the plunger coincidentally with the needlemechanism, the plunger serving to fold the cloth beneath the selvage ofthe lace and acting just ahead of the down stroke of the needle point.

5. In a lace sewing machine, the combination with a presser foot, aneedle bar and needle reciprocating with respect thereto, and clothcutting` means acting in front of the needle, of a cloth foldingplungerrecip- ,rocating along an inclined guideway at the front part of thepresser foot toward and from the axis of the needle, a draw barconnected to the plunger, and means actuated by the needle bar to causethe reciprocating of the draw bar in a horizontal plane to cause thedownward movement of the plunger when the needle bar moves downwardly.

G. In a two needle lace sewing machine, the combination of a presserfoot, a needle bar, a pair of needles carried by the needle bar, meansto feed laces beneath the needles, cutting devices to trim the clothbetween the lines of action of the needles, anda pair of raw edgefolding members acting to hold the rawedges of the cloth downwardwith-respect to the needles, and a member actuated by the needle bar onits down stroke to cause folding member.

8..,In a lace sewing machine, the combination of a presser foot, acutting member and a cloth folding member reciprocating parallel to eachother in the front portion ofthe foot along diagonal lines with respect*to the axis of the needle, and means to reciprocate the cutting memberand the folding member one after the other.

9. In a two needle lace sewing machine, the combination of a presserfoot, means to feed lace downwardly and rearwardly alongv the frontportion thereof, a pair of needles, means to reciprocate the needlesthrough the lace and cloth at the middle portion of the foot, a cuttingmember and a cloth folding member acting in succession upon the clothadjacent the line of action of each needle, means to operate the clothcutting members, and means actuated bythe needle mechanism to actuatethe clothfolding members simultaneously, forcing them downwardly whilethe needles are making their down stroke, and holding the foldingmembers down until the needles start upon their up stroke.

lO. The combination with a presser foot, a needle bar, and a needlecarried thereby reciprocating with respect to the presser foot, of acloth cutting device movable downwardly and rearwardly toward the axisof the needle, a folding member acting upon the cloth, and memberactuated by the needle bar on its down strokev to cause a correspondingactuation of the member acting upon the cloth.

11. A sewing machine having a plurality of needles adapted to have theirdistance from` each other varied, a separate clothv cutting device foreach needle, and means whereby the lateral adjustment of a needle willproduce a simultaneous lateral adjustment of its cloth-cutting device.

l2. In a two needle lace sewing machine, the combination of'a presserfoot having guideways formed in its front portion, a plurality ofmembers movable in said guideways to act upon the cloth, a rockerjournaled upon the presser foot, a reciprocating needle bar, a portionof the rocker being in position to be actuated by the needle bar duringits reciprocations, and connections between said cloth actuatingn'iembers and fil the rocker kwhereby the oscillation of the tary meansacting simultaneously upon both rocker will cause simultaneous movementrof the members acting upon the cloth.

13. The combination with a presser foot having a downwardly andrearwardly inclined guideway in its front portion, a needle bar, and aneedle reciprocating -vertically with respect to the foot, of al lmemberacting upon the cloth in front of the lneedle and mounted for movementin said guideway,\a forwardly and rearwardly reciprocating draw barhaving its front endconnected to the member acting on the cloth, arocker journaled on artransverse axis -uponthe presser foot inpositionto be actuated by tire needle bar, and connections between therocker and said draw bar to cause the movement ofthe member acting vonvthe cloth according to the vmovement of the needle bar.

14. A sewing machine having a plurality of needles adapted to have theirdistance from `each other varied, a presser foot having a separatesection for each vneedle,said sections being 'relatively adjustablelaterally, a separate cloth-cutter carried by each of said sections, andmeans whereby the lateral adjustment of a presser foot section willproduce a simultaneouslylateral adjustment of the corresponding needleand cloth-cutter.

15. 1n a two needle sewing machine, the combination with a presser footdivided centrally, the division line being longitudinal of the directionof feed,a pair 4of' needles respectively connected to the two parts ofsaid presser foot, and means to reciprocate the needles in coopera-tionwithv thek presser foot, of means to feed lace along the presser footbeneath the needles, and means to adjust thetwo parts of the presserfoot and the needles laterally toward and from each other, and vequallyrelatively to thelongitudinal central ldivision line Aof said presserfoot.

1G. l'n a two vneedle lace sewingmachine, the combination with a pair ofneedlesand meansto reciprocate the same,*of a presser foot co-operatingwith the needles and-divided along a vertical plane coinciding-with themedian line of the worln'means to feed lace along vthe front portion ofthe presser foot lbeneath the needles, the lace feeding means beingvalso divided in the same plane as the presser foot, and means to widenthe presser foot' and 'the'lace feeding means sin'mltaneously toaccommodate wid'erlace.

1T. ln a two needle lace sewing machine, the combination with 'a pair-ofneedles vand means to reciprocate `the same, of a'presser foot dividedalong a central verticaly plane coincidingl with the median line ofthework, means to lfeed 'lace along the front part'of the presser footbeneath the needles, said lace feeding means also being divided along'the same plane as the presser foot, yand rothe presser foot and the lacefeeding means to cause the widening of the samesiniultaneously and tothe same extent to accommodate wider lace.

18. In a two needle lace sewing machine, the combination with a pair ofneedles and means to reciprocate the same in a vertical transverseplane, of a presser foot divided in a vertical plane perpendicular tothe plane of the needles, said presser foot being formed with atransverse slot coincident with the plane of the needles and along theendsof which the needles are adapted to reciprocate, means to feed lacedownwardly through said slot beneath the needles so that the edges ofthe lace are engaged by the needles, and means to widen the presser foot-to elongate the slot, to widen the lace vfeeding means, and to adjustthe needles farther apartto correspond to the widening of the presser`foot and lace feeding means.

19,' Ina two needle lace sewing machine, the combination with a pair ofneedles and means to reciprocate the same in a vertical transverseplane, of-a presser foot having a transverse slot coinciding with saidplane,

'means to feed lace through the slot beneath the needles, the edges ofthe lace moving` along the ends of the slot and engageablc by theneedles, means to adjust the lace feeding means to accommodate widerlace, means to increase 'the effective length Iof the slot accordingly,and means to widen the space between the needles so that the points ofthe needles always pass tlnough the edges of the lace irrespective ofthe width thereof.

'20. In a two needle lace-sewing machine, the combination-of a presserfoot having a transverserslot, means to feed lace downwardly through theslot with the edges theren of passing along the ends of the slot, a pairof needles, means to reciprocate the needles causing the points thereofto pass through the edges of the lace close to the ends of the slot, and`means to' increase the effective length of Ethe fslotto accommodatewider lace.

21.1111 aflace sewing machine, the combination of apresser footcomprising two rela ti-vely laterally movableparts, means to feed lacealong the front part of the presser foot, said lace feeding meansincluding a pair of tongues spanning the gap between 'the parts of vthepresser foot, and between which tongues the lace is caused to move',means to hold the lace inthe position to which it is fed, and stitchforming means co-operating with thelace at ther bottom of the presserfoot.

In a lace'sewing machine, the combination of a presser foot comprisingtwo laterally movable parts, means to adjust said partstoward and fromeachother according tothe-width of the'lace, a tongue connected to thefront part of the presser foot and e:\:-

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tending rearwardly and spanning the gap between the two parts of thefoot, and over which tongue the lace is fed, a vertically reciprocatinglace feed bar acting above the lower portion of the tongue, a series oflace engaging lingers moved downwardly and rearwardly by operation ofsaid vertically reciprocating feed bar, means acting upon the lace tohold it in position to which it is fed, and stitch forming mechanismacting upon the lace at the bottom of the presser foot.

23. ln a lace sewing machine, the combination of a presser footcomprising two parts movable laterally toward and from each other, thefoot being provided with a transverse slot extending into both parts,the length of the slot increasing with the movement of the parts of thefoot away from each other, means to feed lace through said slot, thelace feeding means comprising relatively movable parts to accommodatedifferent widths of lace, a pair of needles, means to reciprocate theneedles through the ends of the slot and edges of the lace, and means toadjust the needles apart and simultaneousl widen the resser foot andlace feedinCf .Y e,

devices, said adjusting means including a series of compound screws, aseries of pin- .ions connected to the ends of the screws, and a mastergear meshing with all of said pinions.

fl. ln a sewing machine, a presser foot having a guide-way, and acloth-cutter ar ranged to reciprocate in a vertical plane along saidguideway, the cutting edge of said cutter and the direction of movementthereof, being diagonal to the direction of feed of the cloth.

25. ln a lace sewing machine, the combination with a presser foot, areciprocating needle bar and needle cooperating therewith, and clothcutting means acting in front of the needle, of a folding device movablein a vertical plane for folding the raw edge of the elo-th and actingthereon between the cutting means and the needle, and means to actuatethe folding device simultaneously with the needle far.

26. lr a lace sewing machine, the combination with a presser foot, aneedle bar, and a needle cri-operating therewith, of cloth cutting`device acting to slit the cloth in' front of the needle, lace feedingmeans disposed above the bed plate of the machine and directed towardthe needle, means directly connecting said lace feeding means and thecutting device to aetuate the lace feeding means and the cutting deviceone 'from the other, and a. folder for the raw edge of the cloth betweenthe cutting device and the point of application of the lace to thecloth.

2T. In a lace sewing mael'iine, the coinbination with a presser foot, aneedle bar co-operating therewith, and a needle carried by the needlebar, of a lace feeding bar disposed above the bed plate of theI machine,and reciprocating along the front part of the presser foot toward theneedle, a reciprocating cloth cutting blade in front of the needle andpoint of application of the lace to the cloth, means directly connectingsaid lace 'feeding means and the blade, to actuate thel blade from thelace feeding bar in opposite directions, and a folder for the raw edgeof the cloth between the blade and the peint where the lace is stitchedto the cloth.

28. ln a lace sewing machine, the com-` bination with a presser foot andstitch forining mechanism, co-operating therewith, of a lace feedingbail disposed above the bed of the machine and reciprocating withrespect to the front part of the presser foot along a certain transverseplane, av cloth cutting blade movable along the presser foot in a planein front of and at an angle to the plane of the feeding bar, and a bellcrank connection directly connecting said lace feeding bar and saidcutting blade to ac tuate the cutting blade from the feeding bar.

29. In a lace sewing machine, the combination of a presser foot having atransverse slot in its bottom, mea-ns disposed above the bed plate ofthe machine to feed lace down wardly through said slot and including areciprocating bar, means to stitch the lace to the cloth beneath theslot, a cloth cutting blade guided for reciprocation in the'front partof the presser foot, a lever pivoted on the presser foot between thelace feeding bar and the blade, and direct pivotal connections betweenthe ends of the lever and the bar and blade respectively whereby theblade is actuated from the bar, but in an opposite direction.

30. In a two needle lace sewing machin-e, the combination of a presserfoot having a transverse slot in its bottom, a pair of transverse-lyadjustable needles acting throu lh said slot, means to feed lacedownwaro. and rearwardly through said slot beneath the needles, 'cuttingmeans to trim the clath between the rows of stitches formed by theneedles, and means acting'between the cutting means and the needlestoturn the raw edges of the cloth downward so as to be engaged by saidstitches.

3l. In a lace sewinl machine, the combination of a presser root havingpair of parallel inclined gnideways in its front portion, a clothfolding member located in one of said guideways, a cloth cutting memberin the other guideway, means te reciprocate the cutting member along itsguideway, and stitch forming mechanism acting upon the cut and foldedcloth in the rear of the cutting and folding members.

The combination of presser foot, means to feed lace downwardly andrearwardly along the front portion thereof, a pair oi' needles, means torociproc-dc th-I needles through 'the lace and cloth a tl i middleportion ot the toot, cloth out?. members acting;- on the clothrespectivei5,y 't'ront olf each needle, means to operate the clothcuttingY members, and means actt ti l between the cutt up," members andthe nee to cause the rr V edges ol" the cloth to beneath the edges otthe lace.

The combination with a presser a needle bar, and a needle carried by theneedle bar, ol means to trim and told tl cloth in front oit the needle,a i iember pivoted upon a horizontal pivot upon the presser footadjacent to the needle bar and operated thereby and connections betweenthe pivoted member and the folding ineaiu to actuate the lattercoincidentally with the downward movement oit the needle b ln a two nealle lace sewing machine, the combination ot a preshaving guideways inits Yfront portion, rer 'p rati needle mechanism cti-operating ith thepresser foot, a member pivoted upon the presser foot in position to bevoscillated l the needle mechanism d aire' the reciprocations thereot',a plurality ot cloth ci and toldingg)` members movable in said ways, andconnections between the member and the folding mourners ."liercbv theoscillation ol' the pivoed member cause the active operation of thel'oldingg; members coincidentally with the downward recijirocatioi'i otthe needle mechanism.

ln a lace sewing` machine, the combination ot a presser toot comprisingltwo relatively laterally movable parts, means to Vtoed lace to andthrough the presser 'to-ot, said feeding means including, devicesspanningl the gap between the parts ot the presser tout and along,rwhich spanning devices the lace is caused to move, means to hold thelace in the position to which it is moved, and stitch forming n'ieanscti-operating! with the edges ot the lace at the bottom ol the presserfoot.

36. In a two needle lace sewing machine, the combination of a two-partvariable width presser toot, a rocker pivoted upon the two parts of thepresser foot, means to hold the upon the presser toot on a horizontalpivot and including a downwardly projecting blade, a needle bar adaptedto engage said blade on its down stroke and cause the oscillation ot therocher, a sleeve extendine downwardly trom the rocher at one side or theblade, means .actingr upon the cloth beneath the gti-oat part oi thepresse ioot, a nnri'lzontal draw bar attached at one end to the meansacting upon the cloth, the other end or the draw bar havine' an eye, anda pin extending from the lower end ot the .sleeve into said eye foractuation ot the draw bar from the needle bar and rocker.

38. in a lace sewing machine, the combination o' a presser foot, aneedle bar, a ro er pivoted upon the presser toot and having a jnojectingl blade adapted to be engaged by the needle bar to oscillatethe rocher, a sleeve projecting downwardly l'rom the roel-zer, pinslidable longitudinally in the 'tree end or the sleeve and projecting,`normally therefrom, a cloth tolding plunger guided for reciprocation inthe iront part ot the presser foot, member connectingl the pin aforesaidwith said plunger, means to hold the pin retracted into the .sleeve whenthe plunoer is to be idle, and means connected to the plunger to hold itup in idle position when the pin is retracted from said connectingmember.

39. ln a lace sewing machine, the combination oi a presser foot, areciprocating needle bar, a rocker mounted upon the presser tootadjacent to the needle bar and adapted to oscillate around a horizontalpivot, a pair of blades carried by the rocker and extending at an angleto each other above and below said pivot and engageable in alternationby the needle bar as it approaches the ends ot its reciprocationswhereby the rocker is actuated positively in both directions, meansactingl upon the cloth in lront ot the needle bar, and connectionsbetween the last named means and said rocker.

s0. lin variable width presser loot mechanism for sewing machines, thecombination with the relatively laterally adj estable parts ot the foot,of a compound dil'erential pitch screw extending between said two parts,the press-er toot having a stationary projection between the adjustableparts, one part of the screw being ournaled in one presser loot part andthreaded into said projection, and rt oil the screw beinzg` lined to theA t par'v and having' threaded engagement with the journaled part of thescrew, the two sets of threads being of diterent pitch, and means torotate the one screw part whereby both foot parts are actuatedsin'iultaneously in opposite directions.

el. In a variable width two needle lace sewii'noY n'iachine, thecombination of a two part presser i'oot, plurality of compound llO lflllscrews extending between the two parts of the foot, one part of eachscrew being journaled in one foot part but held from endwise movementwith respect thereto, the other part of the same .screw being fixed tothe opposite foot part, and means to rotate all the journaled screwparts simultaneously whereby the foot parts are moved in oppositedirections in parallelism.

42. In a sewing machine, a presser foot having' a rearwardly inclinedguideway, and a cloth cutter arranged to reciprocate along saidguid-eway, the cutting edge of said cutter and the direction of movementthereof, being diagonal to the direction of feed of the cloth.

43. In a sewing machine, a presser foot, and a cloth-cutter carri-ed bysaid presser foot and movable thereon, the cutting edge of said cutterand the direction of movement thereof, being diagonal to the directionof feed of the cloth. v

44. In a sewing machine, a. pressure foot, and a cloth-cutter carried bysaid presser foot .and movable thereon in a plane extending lengthwiseof the line of feed, the cute ting edge of said cutter and the directionof movement thereof, being diagonal to the direction of feed of thecloth.

45. In a sewing machine, a presser foot, and a cloth-cutter carried bysaid presser foot and movable thereon in a plane extending lengthwise ofthe line of feed in an inclined path, the cutting edge of said cutterand the direction of movement thereof, being diagonal to the directionof feed of the cloth.

46. In asewing machine, a presser foot provided with a guideway inclineddownwardly and rearwardly in a vertical plane parallel to the line. offeed, and a clothcutter arranged to reciprocate .along said guideway,the cutting edge of said cutter and the direction of movement thereof,being diagonal to the direction of feed of the cloth.

47. In a sewing machine, a presser foot having apertures for the passageof two needles, and two cloth-cutters carried'by saidpresser footmovably and arranged toV operate between the planes in which the saidneedles operate. y

48. In sewing machine, two adjacent reciprocating needles arrangedlaterally of each other with respect to the line of feed, a presserfoot, and twocloth-cutters carried by said presser foot movably andspaced laterally from each other a distance smaller than the lateralspacing of the needles, said cloth-cutters operating between the linesof operation of the two adjacent needles.

49. In a sewing machine, a reciprocating needle-carrying bar, a presserfoot 'co-operating with the needle, means for folding lace relatively tosaid presser foot, a clothfolder carried by the presser foot and movablerelativcly thereto, and means for actuating said cloth-folder by themovement of the needle bar.

50. In a sewing machine, a presser foot consisting of sections bothrelatively adjustable to vary the distance between them, said sectionsadapted to contact with each other in the extreme narrow position ofsaid presser foot, and a tongue extending over the upper surfaces ofsaid sections tospan the space between said sections when they areseparated.

5l. In a sewing machine, a presser foot comprising sections relativelyadjustable in a direction, transverse to the line of feed, a tongue tospan the space. between said sections, and a lace feeder movable inco-oper' ation with said presser foot sections and tongue.

. In a sewing machine, ay presser foot comprising sections relativelyadjustable in a direction transverse to the line of feed, a tongue tospan the space between said sections, and a lace feeder movable inco-operation with said presser foot sections and tongue, and comprisingsections associated with the respective presser foot sections andadjustable relatively in a transverse direction. i

53. In a sewing machine,` a presser foot comprising sections relativelyadjustable in a. direction transverse to the line of feed, and alace-feeder movable relatively to the presser foot to co-operatetherewith, and comprising sections adjustable relatively in a transversedirection and associated with the respective presser foot sections.

54. In a sewing machine, a presser foot comprising sections relativelyadjustable in a direction, transverse to the line of feed, and means foreffecting the relative adjustment of said sections, said meansvincluding a plurality of screws connecting said sections, pinions on thesaid screws, and a master gear meshing with said pinions to ope-ratethem together.

55. In a sewing machine, a Apresser foot comprising `sections relativelyadjustable in a direction, transverse to the line of feed, reciprocatingneedle-holders likewise relatively adjustable in a transverse direction,a plurality of adjusting screws connecting the needle-holders, aplurality of adjusting screws connecting the presser foot sections,pinions on all of said screws, and a master gea-r meshing with all ofsaid pinions 'to effect simultaneously a relative adjustment of theneedle-holders and of the. presser foot sections.

56. In a lace sewingl machine, a presser foot, means for feeding lacerelative to said presser foot, and a cloth-folder movable on saidpresser foot in a plane extending lengthwise of the line of feed.

57. In a lace sewing machine, a presser foot, means for feeding lacerelative to said presser foot, and a cloth-folder movable on saidpresser foot in a vertical plane extending lengthwise of the line offeed.

5S. ln a lace sewing machine, a presser foot, means for feeding lacerelative to said presser foot, and a cloth-folder movable on saidpresser foot, lengthwise of the line of feed and obliquely to such line.

59. ln a lace sewing machine, a presser foot, means for feeding lacerelative to said presser foot, stitching mechanism, and a cloth-foldermovable in front of said mechanism in a plane extending lengthwise ofthe line of feed.

(l0. ln a lace sewing machine, stitching mechanism, a presser foot,means for feeding lace relative to said presser foot, and a cloth-foldermovable in front of said mechanism in a vertical plane extendinglengthwise of the line of feed.

6l. ln a lace sewing machine, stitching mechanism, a presser foot, meansfor feeding lace relative to said presser foot, and a clotl foldermovable in front of said mechanism lengthwise of the line of feed andobliquely thereto.

GQ. In a sewing machine, two adjacent andspaced needles disposed in aline transverse to the line of feed of the material, and two spacedcloth cutters arranged to operate in front of the needles to form twocuts in the material between the lines of operation of the needles tocut a portion of material therefrom.

63. In a sewing machine, two adjacent and spaced needles disposed in aline transverse to the line of feed of the material, and two spacedcloth cutters arranged to operate in front of the needles to form twocuts in the material between the lines of operation of the needles tocut a po-rtion of material therefrom, and means for supplying lace tobridge the opening which results from the operation of said critters.

Gel. ln a sewing machine, a cloth cutter having up and down movement ina straight line and provided with an oblique cutting edge adapted to cutinto the cloth as said Litter descends with a uniform cutting force, thecutting point of engagement moving downwardly and rearwardly as thecutter descends.

G5. ln a sewing machine, a presser foot consisting of normallycontiguous sections relatively adjustable to vary the distance betweenthem, and means extending at its side edges over the upper surfaces ofsaid sections and adapted to span the space between said sections whenseparated.

66. In a lace sewing machine, the combination of a presser footcomprising two relatively latcrally movable parts, means to feed lace toand through the presser foot, said feeding means including devicesspanning the gap between the parts of the presser foot and along whichspanning devices the lace is caused to move.

67. ln a sewing machine, a presser foot consisting of a pair of sectionsrelatively adjustable to vary the distance between them, a lace guidingtongue to span the space between said scctions, and spring meansdisposed between said tongue and saidsections to maintain said tonguecentrally of the side extremities of said sections.

68. In a sewing machine, a presser foot consisting of a pair of sectionsrelatively adjustable to vary the distance between them, a lace guidingtongue to span the space between said sections, means disposed betweensaid tongue and said sections to maintain said tongue centrally of theside extremities of said sections, keeper disposed over said tongue andspring means disposed between said keeper and said sections to maintainsaid keeper centrally of the side extremities of said sections.

69. In a sewing machine, a presser foot consisting of a pair of sectionsrelatively adjustable to vary the distance between them, a tong-ue tospan the space between said sections, and means carried byysaid sectionsand adapted to span the space between said tongue and the sideextremities of said sections.

70. In a sewing machine, a presser foot consisting of a pair of sectionsrelatively adjustable in a direction transverse to the line of feed,reciprocating needle holders provided with needles likewise relativelyadjustable transversely to the line of feed, lace guide means carried bysaid presser foot, and keepers on said respective sections movabletherewith and provided with lingers adapted to maintain a constantposition relatively to said needles.

7l. In an adjustable two-needle sewing machine, a bar, a presser footcomprising a pair of sections extending on opposite sides of the bar andhaving needle openings, and means for adjusting the sectionssimultaneously and equally toward or from the bar, said means comprisinga screw rotatably mounted in one of said sections and threaded into thebar and a second screw iixed in the other section and secured to thefirst-mentioned screw by threads having twice the pitch of the threadson the first-mentioned screw.

RALPH M. SHARAF.

